This is an update to, and continuation of, the out-of-print 9th edition of my guidebook WEEKEND ADVENTURES IN SAN FRANCISCO & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. It consists of short chunks of travel throughout Northern California that you can easily digest. More great weekend adventures await at my BERKELEY AND BEYOND website at www.berkeleyandbeyond.com.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel 41 Tunnel Rd., at Ashby Ave./Domingo Ave. 9 stories; 276 rooms. 3 heated pools; hot tub; 4 saunas; 2 steam rooms; full-service spa; fitness room; ?10 tennis courts (fee; 6 with night lights). 4 restaurants; room service. Resort fee $28/night. Pets ok. Parking fee. Built originally by a Kansas farmer who struck it rich and wanted to fulfill his wife’s dream of living in a home resembling an English castle, the first incarnation of this hotel burned to the ground in 1901. The current Victorian hotel, built in 1915, once charmed architect Frank Lloyd Wright into describing it as “. . . one of the few hotels in the world with warmth, character and charm.” The hotel was rebranded to Fairmont in 2015 and has been redecorated in a tasteful contemporary style accented with contemporary art.

check-in desk at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

The lobby has an assortment of conversation areas, and a sabre bottle opening of Champagne is held there every afternoon. Just off the lobby, the Lobby Lounge and Bar offers the hotel’s famous views along with live music, while the colorful adjacent Hillary Tenzing Room celebrates the first climbers to summit Mt. Everest--Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay--and serves afternoon tea on weekends. A brand new amenity is Edie, the Canine Ambassador. She hangs out in the lobby by the check-in desk, welcoming people as only a sweet dog can (she’s a Boxer mix and was formerly at the Fairmont Pittsburgh). A free 30-minuted Art and History Tour is available by appointment.

lobby seating at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

entertainment in the Lobby Lounge and Bar seating at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

Hillary Tenzing Room at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

Edie, the Ambassador Canine at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

The hotel now provides all the amenities of a resort, but in an urban setting. Some guest rooms boast a Jacuzzi tub for two and views of San Francisco, others have charm from the past—a deep closet here, a vintage tub there. Some rooms have soaking tubs, and the go-for-broke Tower Suite includes a private roof deck with stunning views.

view from guest room at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

guest room bed at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

guest room bathroom at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

The hotel’s pools and hot tub are surrounded by several long rows of chaise lounges--looking like something out of sunny Southern California or Hawaii, but certainly not Berkeley. The basement spa features a whirlpool with a view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, a therapeutic “deluge” shower, 32 treatment rooms, and a hair and nail salon. The resort fee covers guest use of the wet facilities (saline whirlpools, saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms). The Club offers a fitness center with classes, tennis courts, swimming pools, and the casual Bayview Cafe (B-L daily). Additionally, the Kids’ Club provides childcare and holiday camps.

spa whirlpool at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

view of The Club at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

The romantic, upscale Meritage (B daily, D W-Sat, SunBr) offers refined steak and seafood dishes, enhanced with an extensive selection of wines. Comfortable chairs invite sitting back and enjoying the spectacular bay view as well as the dramatic high-ceilinged interior dining room. Sunday brunch is an extravagant buffet of salads, fresh fruit, seafood, and meats. It includes a design-your-own-omelette station and a dessert table laden with fine cakes, chocolate éclairs, chocolate fondue, and several flavors of mousse.

view from Meritage at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

The more casual, bistro-style Limewood Bar & Restaurant (L-D daily) also offers a great bay view plus seating in the entry bar, outside on an expansive terrace, and inside in booths and at an assortment of tables--including one long communal table with a view of the open kitchen. The menu is short and changes regularly. Dinner begins with superb chewy-crusted sourdough bread from the local Acme bakery https://weekendadventuresupdate.blogspot.com/search?q=Acme+Bakery, It is possible to make a light dinner of just the canapes, think Devils on horseback (Medjool dates, blue cheese, pancetta), scallion-cheddar hushpuppies with honey butter, fried eggplant rounds with green goddess dressing. We enjoyed our selections with cocktails--me, a colorful and thirst-quenching Tequila-based Kumquat Smash, and he, a classic Southern rye-absinthe Sazerac. Appetizers include a very green, dill-dominated chilled cucumber gazpacho, and a fresh and light sprouting broccoli salad with burrata and delicious, crispy toasted shallots. For our mains, my dining partner had tasty roasted wild ling cod with asparagus and caramelized onions, while I had a somewhat disappointing chicken with seaweed butter and baby turnips (I was expecting a bone-in chicken, but it was breast slices arranged haphazardly atop each other and was in desperate need of some mashed potatoes). Sandwiches and a burger are available at lunch (the house Grass-fed Beef Burger is also available from the bar menu and by request during dinner service). Our colorful strawberry shortcake with Bourbon-soaked berries was a choice ending.

bar at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

terrace at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

oyster bar at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

Kumquat Smash cocktail at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

Sazerac cocktail at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

canapes at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

cucumber gazpacho at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

broccoli-burrata salad at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

wild ling cod at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

chicken with seaweed butter at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

strawberry shortcake at Limewood Bar & Restaurant at the Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California

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about

*Is a freelance travel writer and the author of 17 books, including
MILES OF SMILES: 101 GREAT CAR GAMES & ACTIVITIES and WEEKEND
ADVENTURES IN SAN FRANCISCO & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. *Is the founding
publisher of Carousel Press and the editor of DREAM SLEEPS: CASTLE &
PALACE HOTELS OF EUROPE. *Has written for FamilyFun, Sunset, and
numerous other magazines, as well as for the travel sections of many
newspapers. *Has done stints as both a movie and a restaurant critic.
*Has appeared on the Today Show.*Is a member of the Society of
American Travel Writers.